Chapter 5.8: Dear Diary, the Stayover

Dear Diary, life is good. I’ve spent hours rehearsing on my own for my next performance. Being a lead has opened up a new future for me that I’ve always craved. I’ll never be rich or famous, my body will ache and my feet may never be the same again but this is what I have worked for.

I’m not saying I’ve “arrived” because there is always something to improve upon, hence, my relentless rehearsals in front of my mirrors. I want to be the best, so there’s always something to strive for.

Rosetta is still away with our parents on some kind of case that I don’t want any details on. Everything they do is good, I guess, but I’m not willing to go to Crazy Town on one of their adventures. Yeah, I said it. My family is nuts.

First, you have my father who runs a philanthropic company to cover for what they really do. Then, there’s my adventure seeking mother who would do anything, I think, to get high off of fighting evil. I’m not even going to get into how Uncle Dan and Aunt Susan are involved, yet they are just as deep into this as all the others. Add to all of that my sister Rosetta who gets a real bang out of honing what she says is her psychic ability. What I think – what I’ve always thought – is that she believes this will help her with her ultimate goal of taking over the world.

Like I said, they’re a special kind of wack-a-doodle.

Why am I not interested in the “family business?” Mostly because I have enough problems just getting through every day, “normal” life.

Take tonight, for instance. After going through my choreography for our next show, “Possessed By The Past,” a few trillion times, I needed a good icing and then a shower. As I came all the way downstairs, I heard a pounding on the door.

“All right, I’m coming,” I shouted.

As I whipped the door open to express my irritation of someone visiting in the middle of the night, I came face to face with Brent Graves, Julie’s husband.

Before I could get a word out, he growled at me, “Where is she? I know she’s here!”

He attempted to push past me and come inside but I was able to block him with my body.

“Do I need to hit you again?” I asked, a small smirky smile curving my lips.

This got his attention. “I just want to know where my wife is.”

“I’m surprised someone like you doesn’t know where she is.”

“Is she here or not?” he spat.

“Do you think I’d tell you if she was? What’d you do to her this time, anyway? Is she okay?”

His face turned red and his hands balled into fists at his sides. “Of course she’s fine!” He must have lost his mind, because he tried to push past me again as he yelled into the house, “Julie!”

I pushed him back a little harder than I’d intended. At least he got the message, though.

“If I find out she’s here – ”

” – You’ll what?” I said.

He never answered me. Instead, he muttered something I didn’t catch and left. I immediately locked the door and called Julie’s number. To my dismay, her phone was disconnected.

Making my way to the kitchen to get my bucket and some ice, I wondered where she could have gone. To the police station maybe? Somehow, I doubted it.

After I filled the bucket with ice there came a light tapping at the kitchen door.

“Jules?” I said as I squinted into the darkness. I could see her standing at the bottom of the steps, her face twisted with fear, shivering.

“Holden,” she gasped, her voice coming in strangled breaths. “Is he gone?”

“Yes, you’re safe.”

I was down the back steps within seconds, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her inside.

She pulled away from me and broke down in sobs.

I didn’t know what to do. Call the police? Hold her? Make her some tea?

“Are you hurt, Jules?”

Without answering me she ran into my arms and held me tightly, her entire body trembling.

“You’re freezing cold,” I breathed into her ear, patting her back a little.

“Everything I love is gone,” she sobbed. “My daughter… I want her back! I miss her so much!”

“I’ll help you any way I can, Jules.”

Pulling back and wiping her eyes, she said, “I knew you would. I’m sorry Brent was here like that. I knew he’d think I came here but I didn’t know where else to go.”

“It’s okay, he doesn’t scare me. You’re safe here.”

Not knowing what else to do, I made her some tea. She held the cup in her small hands, her body huddled over the warmth.

“Social Services told me if I have my own place and can prove that I can provide for her, I have a chance to get her back. I have to try even if it kills me.”

“I’ll help you,” I repeated.

“Thank you.”

Julie remembered which pajamas Rosetta had loaned her before. Even after a hot shower and warm pj’s, she was still shivering. I tried to convince her she was safe and Brent couldn’t get her. She didn’t look any closer to being calm, though.

I walked her to the den where she had slept before, however, she just stood in the doorway, staring blankly at the daybed.

“Are you all right?”

Her eyes teared up again and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. “I don’t think I can sleep.”

That’s how Julie ended up sleeping in my bed with me. I cuddled her and then eventually rolled over and fell asleep.

You may think it’s strange that I put myself in this position after what happened to me with Ella. And, I won’t lie. Part of me wondered if I’d gone the way of my family to cuckooville. I ended up deciding that Julie was the vulnerable one here and she was no Ella Dean, thankfully.

She tossed and turned all night so I didn’t figure it was likely that either of us would get much sleep anyway. After a while, we got up and raided the fridge.

We had yogurt and granola. Surprisingly enough, Julie had a pretty good appetite.

No sooner had we eaten and done the dishes when we heard Chris calling out, asking if anyone was home.

“You’re so handsome in your uniform,” Julie praised as we joined him in the living room.

“Uh, thanks.”

“Um… I’m going to get dressed. It was nice seeing you, Chris.”

“Yeah, you, too,” he said.

“Dude! What is going on?” Chris asked as soon as Julie was out of earshot.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Julie obviously spent the night here and – and you’re both in your pajamas! Did you two – ”

” – No!”

“Did she leave her husband?”

“Yeah, and I’m afraid she’s going to go back again. She needed somewhere to stay, so, of course, I told her she could stay here.”

“What about her angry husband? This is the first place he’s going to look for her,” he said.

“Brent was already here and I took care of it.”

“What does that mean?”

“Will you relax?” I asked.

“Dude! This is a crazy situation. As a cop, I know how dangerous this is.”

“Everything is fine, okay? I respect you as a police officer but I can’t turn her away. She needs me.”

“This isn’t your fight, Holden. I know you’ve been friends with her for a long time but she needs professional help.”

“She came to me.”

“So, you need to steer her in the right direction. You’re not a counselor and this isn’t a women’s shelter.”

Chris sounded so heartless to me but maybe he was right. If I took her to a shelter, wouldn’t that be turning my back on her right when she needed me most?

“I don’t know, man. I mean, I can help her get into counseling but being in a shelter is not an option.” That’s when I told him what the requirements were in order for Julie to get Paisley back.

“Look, I care about you. I just think you’re in over your head.”

Nodding a little and reflecting on what had happened with Julie so far, I was beginning to understand he was right. What was I doing in the middle of all of this? I wanted to help Julie with all my heart but I was unqualified. In my longing to help her, I wasn’t doing either of us any favors.

If I really wanted to be of service to her, my only choice was to do what Chris said.

“I won’t turn her away,” I slowly said.

“Okay, let her stay here under the condition she gets counseling,” he reasoned.

“Yeah, okay.”

It wasn’t going to be easy. Still, I hoped Julie would do this. I was certain in counseling, they would help her figure out what she needed to do to get on her feet.

“So you slept with her?”

“Sort of… I mean we really did sleep.”

She chuckled a little. “So what?”

“So, I thought I should tell you.”

“Oh, Holden, you’re so precious,” she said with a yawn. “I don’t care if you slept with her.”

This was one strange relationship.

“How do you feel about me?” I asked her.

Again, she laughed lightly. “I adore you.”

What exactly did that mean? I had a feeling she wouldn’t elaborate even if I asked her to.

She yawned again, stretched, then got up. “I’m going to take a shower. Do you mind starting the coffee?”

“Okay.”

She regarded herself in the full-length mirror, turning this way and that.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Her mouth curved into a wry smile. “Looking at the flaws.”

I smiled genuinely at her. “You don’t have any.”

“That is why I adore you.”

“I’ve wanted to bring something up that’s very important to me for a long time,” she murmured, hands across her stomach as she turned once again.

“Yeah? Go ahead.”

“Well, there’s no way to talk about it… I just have to say it. I want you to be the father of my child.”

My jaw dropped as the thought of children had never crossed my mind.

“I knew you’d be shocked,” she laughed again. “You see, I’ve been wanting a child for a long time but I never found anyone worthy of being the father. I want your genes.”

50 comments

Chris is right, for sure. Julie needs professional help and I hope that Holden helps her get it, as she doesn’t seem capable of reaching out for it herself.
Who is this mysterious “she”? Now she’s beginning to creep me out. O.o And we still don’t know her identity. She seems so weird.

Ohhhh.. I don’t like where this is going…. FWB is one thing, but sharing a child just because he has good genes…he’s not a horse….he should run very far and very fast away from her…..she has to be one of the dancers….wanting his great dna genes for her child …I bet it’s the instructor….. what she is doing to him is not that far different than what Ella didmif he agrees with her ridiculous request.

And Julie….I still ship them. They are great friends and know each other very well. I hope she can get away from her abusive relationship. He needs to lean on Chris for help.

Thank you, Audrey 🙂 I like what you said! He’s not a horse, lady! LOLOL I mean, right? lol That’s a good guess on who “she” might be and I can see your logic in coming to that conclusion. That’s an interesting point, too, when you compare this to Ella.

Hopefully, Julie is coming around. She’s decided she wants Paisley, so we’ll see if she can follow through on what she needs to do to get there. It’s a good thing Holden heard what Chris had to say.

Now that Ella isn’t here, Brent is the next person I nominate to step on a Lego brick 🙂 Pls and thanks.
I’m a little concerned with this new relationship of Holden’s as others are as well. She wants Holden to impregnate her, but it doesn’t sound like she wants more beyond that? He shared a bed with another woman and she doesn’t care? It’s a little weird. I’m very intrigued about who she is and what’s going on.
This was so great as always <3

Bwaaahaaahaaa! That really made me laugh! I think we should drop Brent off at the Lego store and turn the power off. LOL 😀

I can see why you’re concerned about Holden’s relationship. This woman is a little weird, or unconventional. It doesn’t seem she is really looking for a relationship. I’m glad you liked the chapter. You’ll find more out about this woman and Holden’s decision in the near future.

Oh, my ! Who is this mystery woman? You’ve probably gathered from my stories that I love nontraditional relationships , so I’m all over this ! I’m hoping we get a bit of progress with Jules. Such a tough situation ! Stay safe !

Thank you, CT 🙂 I’m glad you’re all over this! 😀 It’s definitely unconventional as far as relationships go. I think Jules is finally getting on the right road. Hopefully, she will do what she has to in order to reunite with her daughter.

And Holden thinks his FAMILY is wacky??? I think the people in his “circle” are way ahead in that race!! I can’t wait to see what happens. Holden seems to attract drama, either other people’s, or people who want to give him some! It’s good he has dance to wear his frustrations out. Great chapter! ♥

Thank goodness Julie came to Holden for help! Hopefully she agrees to Chris’s idea of counseling and all that, and eventually gets her daughter back. I know Holden would support her every step of the way. And gosh, idk how to react to that last bit…. This mystery woman is starting to sound like one of those girls who fakes love just to get someone to provide for their child. But maybe I’m reading into that too pessimistically. Can’t wait to find out who she is!

Thank you, Raymond 🙂 I’m glad about Julie coming to Holden for help, too. Everything is out in the open and she’s lost everything – her child, her family, her job. She needs to seek professional help and start over. Hopefully, she’ll get her daughter back. That’s a good guess about the type of person Holden’s new girl is. You’ll find out more very soon. 🙂

Chris wasn’t being harsh, he was being truthful. Julie needs professional help. If she is really serious about getting her daughter back, then she will be open to it.
You are KILLING ME with the last bombshell. This mystery woman is right; Holden does have some pretty exceptional genes. But if he is going to father her baby then I need to know who she is!!! The mystery is killing me!!!

Thank you so much 🙂 You’re right about Chris. In fact, it’s a good thing Chris is in their lives so he can steer this in the right direction. I’m sure as a police officer, he has been educated in this type of situation.

LOL I like what you said about Holden’s genes. haha You’ll find out in the near future who this is. 😀

I’m glad there is someone who insists Julia needs professiinal help, because she really does..! And I hope she gets it soon. But I love that Holden has got her back, and I really loved the way he dealt with her husband! A part of me hopes he’ll try and mess with Holden again, just so I can read what will happen to him, lol! 😈
Aaah, I want to find out who Holden’s mysterious girlfriend is!! She’s a bit weird, that’s for sure (and weird might be an understatement)!

Thank you so much 🙂 It’s so true that Julie needs professional help. I think as a police officer, Chris has most likely been educated in this area to some extent. I love that Holden has her back, too. I love even more that you want to see another Brent/Holden showdown. hahaha

You’ll find out all about the girlfriend in the near future. 😀 I can’t wait to see what you think then, too.

Hopefully, Julie lets herself be convinced to seek professional help.
I think she is as much looking for compassion and kindness.
Holden is full of it, but very vulnerable himself.
And I’m worried about Brent.
Surely, Holden is trained and muscular,but never underestimate a vengeful husband,
better not let him get behind you.
Often enough, he knows very well that his temper is causing the drama, but he will never admit it, but will look for someone to blame, if Julie actually leaves him.
And then this room, where Holden now wakes up sometimes – it does not look very cuddly and clean to me. Kind of grubby.
I’m not wondering that a woman may want a child from him,he is amazing.
But I’m wondering, who she may be.
At last, I had to search what wack-a-doodle is. 😀

Thank you so much <3 I think Julie will try to get herself straightened out now that she realizes how much Paisley means to her. Her main goal is to be well enough for her child. I agree with what you say about Holden. Brent could be really bad news and he will definitely want to blame someone if Julie goes through with leaving him.

This room where Holden meets his girlfriend is kind of grubby looking, you’re right. You’ll find out who she is soon. 😀

Oh, yes! Wack-a-doodle! LOL I hope you were able to find out what it meant. I should watch my slang words. 😀

I hope Holden listens to Chris because so far his choices have not been terribly insightful. Look at what happened the last time he thought he was helping? He needs to find someone who is not emotionally involved. He tends to be naive when it comes to people. I hope that somewhere along the line he will listen to others and in this case Chris, who as a policeman, has been trained in these situations.
Yeah, he may be a “stud” but … If he felt violated before… the complications that could ensue having a child in the mix? He’s not the kind of guy to be detached to begin with so he’d end up wanting to be an integral part of the child’s life. That could get way too complicated.

Thank you, Jolie 🙂 You’re so right about Holden. Chris as the police officer has the right idea here since, as you said, he’s been trained in these matters. I also think you’re right about Holden if he had a child in the mix. I also think he would want to be involved in his child’s life.

Ah, Julie. I hope that she’ll take the hand that’s being offered to her. If her child is her motivation then she should accept it and agree to go to counselling, rather than taking it as an insult or something. I hope that they can pick their friendship back up again.
Okay, so the secret girlfriend… uh… she sounds interesting. I’m a bit worried about her now, with how she worded her proposition!

“I want to be the best, so there’s always something to strive for.” SAME, HOLDEN.
I laughed when he mused about how crazy his family is. What a lovable one, though!
Ugh, go away Brent! I hope Julie will follow Chris’s advice to get professional help. Chris is a great voice of logic when Rosetta isn’t around. I feel like he turns into a pile of dumb mush whenever she’s near, lmao.
The mystery lover wants… his genes? What the heck? That sounds really weird. I do hope Holden won’t agree, he already has enough responsibility on his hands, and ‘I adore you’ is definitely not the same as ‘I love you’. This whole situation is rather strange and now a bit creepy. I can’t wait to find out who she is!
Great chapter <3

IT’S A TRAP.
….
Lol that seems like a very serious request when so far their relationship seems mostly physical. When she touched her stomach I was afraid she already was pregnant and was about to reveal this to him. This woman is very mysterious, and I can’t wait to find out who she is!
I really hope that Julie gets the help she needs and doesn’t go back to that scumbag again. Paisley is all she needs to worry about. But I do have this nagging feeling that this isn’t over with Brent. He’s crazy, and crazy people are often unpredictable.

Finally, I’ve gotten to the good stuff. Have I told you I love this story? Because I love this story. It gets better each new generation, so I really can’t wait to see where Holden’s life goes from here. It seems to be going in a very…strange direction. I think it’s okay that Holden is trying to help Julie. There’s nothing wrong with letting her stay there, in my opinion. She needs someone and Holden is definitely willing to help. I mean, yeah, he doesn’t know how to really help her, but that doesn’t mean he should tell her to go live in a shelter. I read some stories about one particular shelter. I don’t imagine they’re all that way, but that one was BAD. Now I’m just rambling to ignore the obvious ending with Holden’s lady friend. I don’t even know what to feel about that! Girl is cray cray. Holden, I suggest a new relationship. XD

I think Julie is finally taking steps to get out of her relationship. She’s doing it for her daughter, although hopefully someday she’ll realize her own well-being is enough to leave. I’m not sure how she will react to the suggestion of getting counseling, though.

This mystery girl, lol. Holden isn’t even confident in the relationship yet to reveal her identity, and she’s asking for a baby. It does seem like she thinks it’s the right time for her and she thinks Holden is a good guy. But saying she wants his genes is such an icky way to put it. 😛

Thank goodness Julie got away from that scumbag! I was worried for her.
Maybe she can get back on the right track with her life and career now and get her little one back.
I really hope whoever Holden is dating won’t react to Julie the way Fletcher did.

Holden girlfriend is very odd I mean that’s so old fashion to have an affair with a boy just for getting children and genes ahaha. Or maybe she is an alien I don’t know lol.
Julie really needs help and she brings Holden in her troubles letting him alone face to her family problems.

About the Author

Hi, my name is Kymber but you may know me by my pseudonym, Rosemary Castevet. I’m an author, simmer, Registered Nurse, Judy Garland devotee, and horror buff. Did I mention I’m currently owned by Cesare the cat? On top of all of that, I’m a redheaded INFJ who is also a vegan. I’m glad you’re here! Grab a comfy chair and settle in for a fun read.